Duty Bound
by TurboNerdQueen
Summary: 'It was never a guarantee that he would come out of this unscathed. It was something to be expected in his line of work. Still hurt like a bitch, though..' ((set during B1 when Iroh and the others are captured by the equalists))


"Where are they?"

Iroh stared forward, undaunted by the masked equalist in front of him wielding a large mechanical glove. His arms were bound tightly behind him with a thick cable or rope -he didn't dare look down- and his pressure points stabbed furiously every few moments to ensure he would be without his bending. Once he and his companions had been brought in from the field, they separated the party, presumably to question them all and unnerve them into answering their questions. Such a tactic may have some effect on the others (Iroh sincerely hoped otherwise) but he was a proud general in the United Forces. He did not negotiate with terrorists of any form and wasn't about to start this day.

"This will all be over with if you would simply tell us where they are hiding the Avatar. We'll even let you keep the cute girl and live." The equalist said sweetly, as if tempting the firebender with such things would convince him to give up his friends locations. Iroh continued to stare forward, his steely gaze unwavering as the equalist circled him slowly.

He had known something like this would happen. There was never a guarantee that he would return unscathed in his line of work, but it was expected of someone of his status to not be intimidated by the enemy. When the equalist made one full revolution around him, they stopped directly in front of him, flexing their gloved hand.

"I will ask you one last time, bender. Where is the Avatar?" They growled out, clenching their hand into a tight fist. Still Iroh continued to stare forward, memorizing the grooves and patterns of the other's uniform. When he didn't answer, the equalist raised their fist and brought it down across his face. His head snapped to the side as pain flared at the contact of the cold air of the room. They grabbed his mused hair and forced him to stare into their green-tinted goggles.

"Are you deaf, boy? Where is the Avatar?"

Ochre eyes narrowed dangerously and he flexed his muscles underneath the thick ropes, yet still he remained silent. It only angered the other more, as his hold on the firebender's hair was released just for him to rear his arm back and throw another punch towards the general's face. It had more force to it than the previous hit, strong enough for Iroh to swear his teeth rattled from the blow. He turned his head to the side and spat blood out onto the cold cement floor, focusing his attention on his breathing.

"Where is she?!"

"I am a United Forces Sailor. I will support and defend the people of the United Republic and I will obey the orders of those appointed over me. I represent the fighting spirit of the Navy and those who have gone before me to defend freedom and lives around the world. I proudly serve my country's Navy Combat Team with Honor, Courage and Commitment. I am committed to excellence and the fair treatment of all." Iroh recited, glaring up at the other with a great depth of fire in his eyes. The equalist sneered and landed another blow on the other's jaw, infuriated at the bender's resistance.

"Perhaps we can just get a better answer out of your friends. Maybe the pretty girl. Oh, I bet we can make her say all kinds of things." He chuckled, slamming his gloved fist into Iroh's face again and again without a hint of letting up. After about a minute of nonstop blows, the equalist stepped back, breathing heavily and rolling his shoulder. The general's head dipped forwards, a small stream of blood oozing out of his mouth. He coughed once before lifting himself back upright, his face battered. The coppery taste of blood was heavy in his mouth, coating his tongue and nearly making him gag at the overpowering taste of it.

"Dun… dun toush 'er…" He mumbled out, shaking his head lethargically. The masked equalist gave a twisted grin towards the bound bender, unclenching his fist and striding up towards him. He gripped the prince's jaw roughly, earning him a loud hiss of pain from the other as he forced Iroh's head back.

"Tell us what we want to know and I'll consider it, pretty boy. I might just take that earthbender friend of yours instead. I bet he'd be a screamer." He laughed, giving Iroh's head a rough shake. With his left eye slowly swelling shut, Iroh resembled his grandfather. Ochre eyes narrowed into slits as he used what little energy he had remaining to spit in the other's face, flecks of blood spattering the goggles and obscuring their vision. The equalist snarled in anger and backhanded the general with enough force to tip him over and crash into the floor.

"Fucking little bastard! I'll show you where that will get you!" The equalist hissed, turning the glove on to full power and gripping the firebender's exposed arm. Iroh let out a shrill cry as his body convulsed, the electricity coursing throughout his body. His vision began to swim with tears from the collective pain he was enduring, the other's goggles being the last thing he saw before the room spun and he was rendered unconscious.

It was never a guarantee that he would come out of this unscathed. It was something to be expected in his line of work.

Still hurt like a bitch, though.


End file.
